Wednesday, May 22, 2024

How we start

 Once upon a time, people began stories with a formula. “Once upon a time” was popular in European circles. N. Scott Momaday says a Kiowa formula was “They were camping.”

I like that. The oldest stories are from oral traditions, and ancient formulas reflect ancient features of a culture. The Kiowa people were nomads, always encamped somewhere.

I wonder if it makes sense to talk of personal formulas. If so, I’m claiming “On a walk through the woods.” I’m always on a tramp. That’s not strictly true, but true enough to be a starting place for many stories.

• Sources and notes: N. Scott Momaday, The Death of Sitting Bear; New York: Harper, 2020, pp. xiv. Several notes lately have been about Momaday. The unorganized series starts with ‘Momaday: ‘The Death of Sitting Bear,’ May 17, 2024.

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